Moving on up: Westerners knock out North Adams, advance to face Keene

Richard Gregory

Updated 12:02 am, Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Westerners third baseman Mathew Boulter tags North Adams' Jeff Roy out trying to steal during the deciding game of the NECBL Western Division playoffs Monday night at Rogers Park.
Photo: Barry Horn

Westerners third baseman Mathew Boulter tags North Adams' Jeff Roy...

Danbury's sidearming righthander Brandon Adkins was on the mound when play resumed from Sunday's suspended game. Adkins faced the North Adams SteepleCats in the deciding game of the NECBL Western Division playoffs Monday night at Rogers Park.
Photo: Barry Horn

Danbury's sidearming righthander Brandon Adkins was on the mound...

Danbury's Jake Gronsky drives the ball against the North Adams SteepleCats in the deciding game of the NECBL Western Division playoffs Monday night at Rogers Park.
Photo: Barry Horn

Danbury's Jake Gronsky drives the ball against the North Adams...

The Westerners' Jake Gronsky receives congratulations from third base coach Larry Yurkonis after belting his second home run of the game against the North Adams SteepleCats Monday night at Rogers Park.
Photo: Barry Horn

The Westerners' Jake Gronsky receives congratulations from third...

The Westerners' Zach Shank steals second base when North Adams' Adrian English is unable to handle the throw Monday night at Rogers Park.
Photo: Barry Horn

DANBURY -- It may have taken an extra day to complete, but for the Danbury Westerners, it was worth the wait.

Led by two home runs by Jake Gronsky, the Westerners defeated the North Adams SteepleCats 10-7 in the third and deciding game in their best-of-three series in the New England Collegiate Baseball League playoffs on Monday night. The game started on Sunday night but was suspended when a storm rolled in during the top of the fourth inning with North Adams leading 5-4.

When the game resumed on Monday, the Westerners rallied for three runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to take the lead for good.

The Westerners advance to face the defending NECBL champions, the Keene Swamp Bats, in the Western Division finals. That best-of-three series begins Tuesday in Keene, with Game 2 set for Wednesday at Rogers Park in Danbury at 6:30 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be back in Keene on Thursday.

At this point in the summer -- after criss-crossing New England day after day on a bus to play 42 games in less than two months -- fatigue and burnout become major factors. The team that can stay healthy for 10 more days of playoff games -- and fight off the urges to go home or to spend a relaxing day at the beach -- is often the team hoisting the trophy when the dust settles.

"Going to the playoffs, that's what we play for," Gronsky said. "After the whole summer, a lot of people want to go home who aren't here (in the playoffs) right now. It says something for our team that we're still here.

"We started off in last place, I remember, and that was a rough time," Gronsky continued, recalling the Westerners' 3-6 start back in June. "For us to get to this point right now, it really shows what type of team we have. There is not one kid who wants to go home. We want to win this thing."

The Westerners have never won an NECBL title. They reached the finals in 2010 and lost the third and deciding game to the North Shore Navigators. Perhaps this, the Westerners' 18th summer at Rogers Park, will be their year.

They'll have to get through the Swamp Bats first, a challenge the Westerners have readily embraced. The Westerners went 3-5 in the regular season against the Swamp Bats, who finished first in the Western Division.

"We really like what we can do," Gronsky said. "If we just go out there and play our brand of baseball, play hard for nine innings and not take one pitch off, I think we'll be able to match up pretty well."

Westerners manager Jamie Shevchik said he will likely start right-hander David Gibson (3-2, 5.54) on the mound for Game 1 Tuesday. Both teams' pitching depth will be tested as the series moves along, the product of not having any days off between games.

"Getting Game 1 is extremely important, so we're going to start with Gibson and we're going to piece it together with anybody and everybody we have left," Shevchik said. "It's really going to come down to who can out-hit who, and I'll put my offense up against anybody."

Gronsky swung the big bat for the Westerners in Game 3 against North Adams, going 4-for-5 with two home runs -- a three-run shot on Sunday and a solo blast on Monday -- along with three runs and four RBIs.

"If you take good swings on your best pitches, something will happen," Gronsky said. "That was a great experience, and I'm just glad we could advance."

Relief pitcher Brandon Adkins took the mound to start Monday's continuation, picking up where starter Stephen Catalina had left off Sunday. Adkins pitched 3 1/3 stellar innings to earn the win, allowing no runs, no hits and only two walks while striking out five. Jake Stinnett pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save. He induced three straight grounders and the Westerners infield handled all three -- one to shortstop Zach Shank and two to third baseman Mathew Boulter -- to end the game.

Shank and Boulter added two hits apiece. The Westerners took the lead for good in the fifth inning when Daniel Spingola grounded a two-out, two-run double down the right-field line to score Tyler Gurman and Andrew Garner. Boulter lined an RBI single to center later in the inning to make it 7-5 Danbury.

Gronsky led off the sixth with a solo homer to left, and Shank and Garner both walked and scored on passed balls later in the inning to make it 10-5 Danbury.

The SteepleCats appeared to be in business in the seventh, as Jeff Roy walked and Shane Klemcke reached on an error to start the inning. Roy tried to steal third and was gunned down by Westerners catcher Michael Thomas. Moments later, Klemcke tried to steal third and he, too, was thrown out by Thomas. Adkins then struck out Charlie Law to end the inning with the Westerners still up 10-5.

In the cozy confines of Rogers Park, however, no lead is safe, and North Adams started chipping away in the eighth off Westerners reliever John Porter. Brett Clements and Will Klausing led off with back-to-back singles and later came around to score. But after a one-out, RBI double by Bryan Soloman, Porter struck out the next two batters with the tying run at the plate to put out the fire.